Medical Main Street Spotlights Medtech in Michigan

“Inno-Vention – A Medical Main Street Conference,” to be held on October 4 in Oakland County, Mich., will feature three innovative local companies. The companies – Intrinsic Medical Imaging, Oxus and Sentio – will be showcased during a morning session titled “Michigan’s Home-Grown Medical Device Revolution,” which focuses on medical device innovations created by Michigan companies.

Intrinsic Medical Imaging, based in Bloomfield Hills, produces three-dimensional modeling technology that allows doctors to see inside an organ after a CT scan rather than just the exterior, allegedly allowing for earlier detection of tumors and other abnormalities. Oxus, based in Rochester Hills, manufactures an oxygen concentrator that allows oxygen-dependent patients to leave their homes with the portable device, and is intended to eliminate the need to carry bulky oxygen bottles. The device removes nitrogen from the air, producing an unlimited supply of oxygen for the user so there is never a worry about running out of oxygen. The final profiled company, Sentio, is based in Southfield and uses technology first developed in the auto industry to create the SentioMMG nerve mapping and avoidance system for spinal surgery. It is designed to avoid nerve injury during minimally invasive surgery.

“This region’s strength in the healthcare and life-science industries was a well-kept secret for too long,” Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said. “We have industry-changing technologies being developed here that are improving people’s lives. We’ve done cars pretty well for a long time. It’s time to get the word out we’re changing the quality of people’s lives through innovation and technology.”

Patterson created Medical Main Street in 2008 to focus on growing the life science industry in Oakland County and Southeast Michigan. Since the launch, Medical Main Street companies have generated investment of more than $220 million and created or retained more than 2,900 jobs. The county’s burgeoning life-science industry includes 100,000 healthcare and life-science jobs – more than the number of jobs at the Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinics combined, according to Medical Main Street. The company also claims there are more active clinical trials throughout Oakland County and Michigan than in California, Florida, Texas or New Jersey, at 4,900.

This inaugural conference will focus on the complete life cycle of medical device development in Michigan. The conference features business-to-business introductions for medical device manufacturers and suppliers from the United States and around the world. Medical device manufacturers, suppliers and clinicians, and the next generation of devices in oncology, cardiology and orthopedics will be highlighted.